Karnataka - Bellary

Over three lakh children to be immunised under Pulse Polio drive

By Our Staff Correspondent

BELLARY, APRIL 8. Around 3.18 lakh children below the age of five will be administered the polio vaccine during the Pulse Polio drive on Sunday in Bellary district.

Health Department officials and representatives of the United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF) chalked out strategies to achieve the target of immunising a maximum number of children under the campaign.

Information, education and communication activities have been taken up to ensure that parents are educated about the advantages of getting their children immunised. They will be urged to bring their children to the immunisation booths on Sunday.

As many as 1,388 booths, 23 more than on the previous occasion, have been set up to administer the vaccine. In addition to this, 66 mobile squads will also travel across the city, including to mines and fields, to administer the polio vaccine.

Following is the taluk-wise break up of the mobile teams: Bellary, 27; Hospet, 16; Hagari Bommanahalli, three; Hadagali and Sandur, four each; and Sirguppa and Kudligi, six each.

Apart from this, health workers will also take up a door-to-door survey on April 11 and 12 to ensure that children who were not brought to the immunisation booths are also administered polio vaccine, Reproductive and Child Health Programme Officer, Abdullah, told presspersons here on Friday.

Narayan Gaonkar, UNICEF consultant for Bellary district, said that efforts are on to create awareness about the facilities available to immunise children against various diseases. A reorientation programme was held for the staff of the Health Department and he hoped that the number of children immunised under the programme will be more than during the last round.

The District Health Officer, Ganesh, was present.

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